Thinking about FDC..

Hey All

I've been back at work for the past 6 months and have had a great arrangement with my IL's to have DD 3 days a week but unfortunately, I was told this morning that it will probably need to end soon cause it is putting a strain on the IL's. My MIL said that I will need to think about having her elsewhere in the new year. I told DH this morning and he went off and said that this is her last week with his mum! He has a very short temper!!

Any way, i first had DD in daycare for a week and didnt really like it so I am thinking about FDC. I've read the other threads and everyone seems to be really happy with it and i really like it how there arent all those kids like they have had LDC.

So, how do I go about find FDC in my area? And how do I go about choosing a FDC that I like?? Did you go through a few different FDC until you found the perfect one?? So I guess what I am looking for is how does the selection process work?

TIA!

Some local councils run the FDC in their area. Maybe you caould try there.

Mine is run by a community organisation , not through the council but its only in Sydney so not any help to you.. but maybe if it isnt run by council where you live there might be a community org that does it? I just googles "family day care " and my suburb name and found the organisation that does it.

Anyhow, once I found them, I called them and put my name down on their waiting list. They called me a couple of months later and told me there are two carers in my area with vacancies. So I went into the FDC office and talkedto them about what I;d like, what is important to me in a carer etc and they gave me the number of a carer in my suburb. I called her and arrnaged to meet her and we discussed everything. I straight away knew she was perfect and chose her straight away. I didnt end up getting the other carers number because the first one we met was great anyway and I didnt want to have to choose between two awesome carers iykwim? It was relly easy. The FDC office was really helpful and they have been really lovely and helpful when I;ve needed an extra day (that my usual carer couldnt help me out with) for when I have uni exams or had to work an extra day. They also run a special playgroup thing where all the FDC mums in the area meet up with the kids for a few hours (usually they do this at the FDC office). The FDC we use owns a bus with heaps of baby seats in it and it comes to the carers homes and picks everyone up and takes them there. FDC is awesome, if you can find a good carer, I'd definately recommend you go for it.

My sister uses FDC for her kids and is pretty happy!!

I use CC because I don't like the fact that in FDC there is only one person looking after the kids (what if something happened ie, heart attack, fall) who would look after the kids?

And also, if they need a day off cos they are sick - you have to make last minute arrangements for someone to watch your kid - or take the day off work.

JMO of course.

Google family day care and it will tell you who is in your area :)

I dont know how it works with other FDC, but when my FDC person was sick and couldnt work that day, the FDC organised another FDC carer to look after Claire. Although it was a bit of a hassle because it wasnt as close to my house as my usual carer...

I think you just need to see what her personality is like before deciding. Claire doesnt seem to like big crowds, so we felt the centre atmosphere would be a bit much for her (also we couldnt and still havent been able to get into any centres, except for one that has a horrid reputation) and the smaller group in the FDC suits her well.

DS loves FDC and I really like that he only has one carer, she is like another mum to him. I go through a Catholic organisation (I am not catholic they just run the one my carer is with)
I would strongly advise FDC as its so much more like home than an institution.

My DD goes to family day care. We used to have her in CC as well as FDC (a few days at each) but really didn't like the quality of care at CC compared to FDC. Our carer is an older lady and has been doing it for about 12 years. She also has 3 grown children and is a wealth of knowledge. She is so good with DD and our DD loves it. She's been going for about 2 or 3 months now (she's 7 months old). While it's technically just the lady who is the carer, her husband (who has to be police checked and have all the other clearances done) is there as well but he just helps with their grandson who attends care because he's not really allowed to do much with the other kids because he's not the qualified carer. They treat all the kids in their care like their own and are such loving caring people who always go the extra mile. I've been lucky to be having a great experience with FDC and am building a great relationship with our carer. I recommend FDC but you have to meet the carer and "interview" them. I wrote a list of questions down when we were looking for care.

Ring the Childcare Hotline and they will put you in touch with whichever organisation coordinates FDC in your area. There's usually a central coordinating office, they give you a few names, you go and interview and select the carer that's best for you. Easy!

BTW I have no problems with rejecting an unsuitable carer, I went against my instincts with a carer once because they told me there were no places (which later turned out to be hogwash, that coordinator left the job a short time later) and eventually terminated care for a number of reasons. If the person they give you doesn't seem 'right' for whatever reason, tell the office the reason and ask them to find someone else. Word of mouth is also good, if you know someone who's really happy with their carer you can always ask if they have a place or if they know another good carer who has a place. Keep trying and you will find a place that is right.

Thanks everyone!!

I called the Childcare Hotline and got a few numbers and enquired at one of the places but they didnt have the days that I needed. I will call a few others and see if there are any places that suit my days of work. My work is pretty flexible so I can change the days, but I do like the days that I am working. .. I was going to wait until closer to christmas to start looking for DH said to start now and if there is a waiting list in my area, then it probably would be best to start streaight away.

Thanks again everyone. I hope that I can find a great carer like all you guys have! :)

Hi
I agree with Arimeh.
I own a child care centre and I can't understand why we have to have 2 people to open and close even if we have 2 children left on the premises and with FDC there is only one person for 5 - 7 children.We have two staff in each room and if a staff member needs to leave the room for a reason than the floater has to go into that room. The nappy change area is out in the open for all staff to see when you are changing a nappy. When we have under 2 year olds on the premises we have to have a Diploma trained child care worker.
What happens if the FDC is sick? What happens if they want to go on holidays? What happens if they don't want to do it any more? What happens to the children when the FDC needs to go to the bathroom? What happens if the FDC falls and hurts themselfs?

Cathie

The same as if your child is home with you really. I don't have an extra carer with me when i am home with my kids.
I think they are typical pro child care centre arguments/ anti FDC. Some people do not want a child care situation for their child so they choose FDC. For them its the right thing.

Hi, there is a website. familydaycare.com.au check it out and it should have how yto contact FDC mums in your area.